Republican lawmakers pushed the SNAP Fraud Reporting Act to force states to share program data with the USDA and Congress amid mounting evidence of abuse and theft in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Rep. Tom Barrett (MI-07) is the lead Republican pushing this measure, joined by colleagues across several states who say better federal access to state records would expose and reduce rampant fraud. The bill would compel states to hand over program implementation data and fraud metrics so Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture can see what’s happening on the ground.
Barrett framed the debate bluntly. “Americans deserve to know where their federal tax dollars are going, and thanks to little to no oversight at the state level, they are being recklessly wasted on fraudulent food stamp accounts,” Barrett said in a statement. “Rooting out this fraud and restoring long overdue accountability is a critical step toward giving the families that truly rely on this program for supplemental support the certainty they need to put food on the table.
Early USDA data from 29 states showed that deceased individuals’ Social Security numbers (SSNs) were fraudulently used to receive SNAP benefits. Twenty-one states are suing the USDA to keep their SNAP fraud data from the federal government, and Republican lawmakers argue those blue states are shielding problematic practices, including allowing ineligible recipients to draw taxpayer-funded benefits. If states were required to share data, the federal government could build a clearer picture of who is receiving benefits and where safeguards are failing.
Barrett introduced the SNAP Fraud Reporting Act with a slate of fellow Republicans seeking transparency and enforcement. The list of co-sponsors includes Reps. Dave Taylor (OH-02), Lauren Boebert (CO-04), Barry Moore (AL-01), Nancy Mace (SC-01), Tony Wied (WI-08), Wesley Hunt (TX-38), and Andy Harris (MD-01), who say the federal government needs better access to state records to stop fraud efficiently.
The legislative text appears in public drafts labeled Snap Fraud Reporting Act by scott.mcclallen and lays out reporting requirements for states and federal oversight bodies. Supporters say public and congressional visibility into state-level metrics will make it harder for theft and misuse to go unnoticed for months or years.
Private-sector tracking also points to serious losses. Propel, a firm serving SNAP recipients with a management app, estimated $349 million in benefits were stolen during the first half of 2025 alone. The same reports put more than 670,000 households at risk between 2023 and 2025, with roughly $320 million taken from accounts during that period.
One widespread scheme is card skimming at retail points of sale. Criminals attach devices to terminals at busy locations like gas stations, grocery stores, and convenience shops, copy card data, and then empty balances once the cards reload. These attacks often happen overnight or immediately after federal and state authorities load funds onto Electronic Benefit Transfer cards.
The USDA’s own figures show substantial losses: $360.4 million of SNAP benefits were recorded as stolen nationally from fiscal year 2023 through 2025. That national tally does not capture every exploit, but it underlines why lawmakers from the party of fiscal responsibility are pushing for clearer reporting and federal oversight.
Some states have responded by modernizing their EBT infrastructure, rolling out upgraded cards designed to limit skimming and cloning. Alabama, Arkansas, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Virginia have moved to new systems or are in the process of doing so to reduce theft and replace outdated technology.
Meanwhile, a companion proposal called the Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act would direct the USDA to update cybersecurity regulations and requires all states to deploy upgraded SNAP cards within two years if enacted. Supporters say that measure would close the technology gap that lets criminals exploit older card systems and give program recipients more reliable protection against theft.
The push for the SNAP Fraud Reporting Act reflects a broader Republican stance: transparency, tighter oversight, and practical fixes to stop waste. Lawmakers argue these steps will protect taxpayer dollars and ensure help goes to the households that truly qualify for supplemental food assistance.
